


Undercover Christmas

by sandy_s



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Banff, Beer, Canada, Canadian monsters, Christmas, Cold, F/M, Fairmont, Holiday, Mountains, Mystery, Onion Rings, Snow, Swimming Pool, Undercover, Vacation, Warm, Wings, real places, settling down, spa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 11:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17263226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandy_s/pseuds/sandy_s
Summary: Buffy and Spike are helping a local Canadian Watcher solve a deadly mystery at the Fairmont Hotel in Banff at Christmastime in 2005. Will they have time to slip a little romance in there, too? (Hint: it wouldn’t be Spuffy if they couldn’t…) :o)Author’s Note: Special thank you to Badwolfjedi who graciously answered 5,000+ questions about the hotel and encouraged me to write a story set in Canada! Between her and Google, I was set! All the little hotel details in the story are real.Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss owns all.





	Undercover Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [badwolfjedi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfjedi/gifts).



> Beautiful mood board by the fabulous and talented Badwolfjedi!

_Oh, I feel you Christmas_  
_I know I've found you_  
_You never fade away, oh_  
_The joy of Christmas_  
_Stays here inside us_  
_Fills each and every heart with love_  
_\- From James Horner, Mariah Carey, and Wilbur Jennings’s “Where Are You Christmas?”_

 

**Undercover Christmas**

 

Buffy shivered as cold Canadian air rushed inside the car when the valet swept open the door for her. Tugging her coat closer together with one hand, she swung a half-bare leg out of the vehicle, accepting the offered hand of assistance. When she was on her feet in her over-the-knee leather boots, she immediately forgot about the contrast of the warmth of the car and the cold of the outside world. 

 

Squinting in the sunlight that barely warmed the chilly air, she gazed up at the large, regal building where they’d be spending their vacation. The tall hotel was beautiful and old with a mountain range jutting up majestically all around it. Her lips parted a little in awe. Though the evergreens all around them and the roof and windows of the hotel were capped with the whitest snow she’d ever seen, the elegantly stamped concrete driveway was clear and somehow dry. The giant decorated Christmas tree when they drove up reminded Buffy that it was indeed time for the holiday again. How had a whole year passed? She’d totally failed at noticing and at buying gifts. Christmas cards had always been a no-go; her mom had always handled those.

 

The valet was helping her partner remove their luggage from the trunk. When the valet slammed the lid shut, Buffy forced herself to beam at the man pulling up the handle on her roller bag. 

 

“Ready for a wonderful time?” the tall, dark-haired man asked, his smile lopsided and his deep brown eyes kind.

 

Buffy nodded, grateful that there was no wind to blow her blonde curls. She took his elbow when he moved beside her, her blood thrumming in her ears in anticipation of what was to come. “Ready.” 

 

As they made their way from the sun into the shadows, she caught a glimpse of bleached hair out of the corner of her eye and smelled the hint of a burning cigarette. Her heart skipped a beat. She had to force herself not to glance in that direction or show any reaction – something she completely sucked at. Trying to focus on something else, she held the other man’s arm close and entered the elegant Fairmont hotel. She was ready for an adventure of a different sort that didn’t involve her regular Slayer duties. 

 

* * *

 

Spike tossed the butt of his cigarette down, grounding out the remnants of the tiny fire under his boot. He felt a bit strange because he wasn’t wearing his usual black attire. He wore regular denim jeans and a red shirt, which were passable, but he wouldn’t be caught dead in the heavy winter jacket any other time. He hadn’t even brought his duster with him because if something happened to it while it hung uselessly in his suite, he’d never forgive himself. He ran a hand over the back of his neck and mentally shook his head at himself.

 

Who was he kidding? His discomfort wasn’t about what he was wearing.

 

He’d been very bothered seeing Buffy on the arm of another man, getting out of that sporty red Audi. It had taken everything in him not to walk up and claim her as his in broad daylight, but that wouldn’t have ended well and she’d have been brassed off at him for dusting himself over something so silly, especially after everything they’d been through. Plus, he took this mission seriously enough to not fuck it up. 

 

Leaning against the wall of the hotel all casual-like, he waited a few minutes after Buffy had disappeared inside to push himself up and follow her. 

 

He ignored the beautiful carpets, the high ceilings, and grey stone walls that were decorated with garland and Christmas lights in favor of finding his Slayer’s slight figure and bouncing curls. He was glad she was finally here. They’d agreed to go radio silent for a night to really get used to the roles they were playing, but honestly, the silence made him twitchy – not because he was possessive of her. Hell, he would walk away if that’s what she wanted. He was twitchy because he was worried. Funny how he hadn’t worried all those months with Angel’s crew, but now that Spike was with her, he worried she’d change her mind about being with him, worried that she wouldn’t forgive him for his much longer silence, worried that the universe would do something to drive them apart. 

 

Spike headed for one of the desks with a steward behind it, pretending that he cared about what time things opened and closed and where there was a good place to get sushi in town. The steward reminded him that there was a delicious sushi place in the hotel and that there was a lovely place for hot chocolate and relaxation after dinner. 

 

Spike timed the end of the conversation with Buffy and her companion passing by behind him and holding hands. Spike thanked the steward and accepted the handful of brochures even though he already had all of them in his suite. With a wink, the hotel worker even gave him some vouchers for the spa and bowling alley. Spike hadn’t even noticed that the girl had been taken with him. He offered her a smile and nod of thanks.

 

Pretending to study a map of the hotel, he followed Buffy and the Watcher, stopping cattycorner to them at the elevators. When there was a soft ding indicating the arrival of the elevator, he kept his nose buried in the printout until he was safely inside with them and the doors slid shut. 

 

Spike’s shoulders relaxed as he pushed the button to the sixth floor where they’d both booked suites. At last, they could talk. “Hey, love.”

 

“Oh my god, this place is gorgeous!” Buffy gushed, beaming at him. “And hi.”

 

“You can let go of his hand now.” Spike nodded at their interlocking fingers.

 

“Oh. Right.” She narrowed her eyes at him in that flirtatious way of hers. “Jealous?”

 

“No.” Even he knew his tone was a little too emphatic. “Maybe a little.”

 

Buffy’s companion clasped her hand tighter. “We should really stay in character if we’re going to pull this off. Even in the elevator.” The Watcher seemed irritated, and Spike decided that he didn’t like the other man’s tweed suit. He wasn’t even British. 

 

Buffy glanced at Spike and shrugged one shoulder. “Mark’s right.” She tilted her head up at Spike anyway. “Last one for the road?”

 

Mark sighed as Spike took advantage of the offer to tenderly kiss her warm lips, nipping her bottom one and then drawing back with his tongue roving over his incisor in a way that drove her crazy. He smelled her body react and was relieved. 

 

Buffy, for her part, managed to pop back into her role with, “What was that smell in the lobby? It was amazing! Like minty but something else.”

 

“Eucalyptus,” Spike said softly. “From the spa.”

 

“Think I’ll have time for a spa treatment while I’m here? I’ve never actually been to a hotel spa.” Buffy’s face lit with excitement.

 

“Maybe this afternoon. Our quarry isn’t due to go out and about until this evening,” Mark said, his eyes weary. “We should all take a breather.”

 

“It’s probably too expensive.” Buffy sighed. “A girl can dream.” 

 

Spike decided he liked this lighthearted side of her; he’d seen far too little of it at the end of their time in Sunnydale, and things hadn’t all been roses and sunshine in L.A. after she’d found him. Their road trip to New Orleans had been nice but not enough of a break from everything before they got back to work. This. . . this being in Canada in the mountains far from everything felt like a real respite even if they were on another mission and an undercover one at that.

 

Spike rummaged through the pile the steward had given him, extending the spa voucher. “Here.”

 

Buffy accepted the bit of paper and saw what it was. Her mouth dropped open. “How?”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Spike was just happy to surprise her. “Use them. Enjoy them.” 

 

Her green eyes were shining as she held them to her heart. “Thank you.”

 

The elevator slowed. 

 

“I’ll text you soon,” Buffy said to reassure him. 

 

“Make sure you’re not on the hotel wi-fi,” Mark reminded them.

 

Spike longed to nuzzle Buffy’s soft cheek, but he held back. “Alright on both counts.” 

 

* * *

 

Buffy lay flopped on the bed in the suite, her bare legs grateful to be free of her boots. She wiggled her toes and wished that Spike was there to rub her feet. That kiss he gave her in the elevator had purposefully left her wanting far more. Argh.

 

Mark was unpacking his bag into the drawers in their suite, which luckily had a pull-out sofa in the other room for him to sleep on. Spike would kill her if she and Mark slept in the same bed. 

 

She grabbed her bag of random Slayer-y things off the floor next to her, unzipping it and rummaging through odds and ends like specific magicked weapons that wouldn’t set off alarm bells at the airport, lip gloss, hand sanitizer, a mini first aid kit that included more than any first aid kit she’d ever seen (a must for every Slayer), and her wallet. She found her phone. Bingo. She jogged it to life and found a text from Spike, of course. 

 

He’d written, “Settled in, pet?” 

 

She smiled and typed. “Yes. But Mark’s unpacking.”

 

She could almost hear Spike’s laugh and wished she could hear the rumble against her ear. “And that’s why you’d never work out.” He was referencing her fear of leaving things behind, including people she cared about. 

 

Buffy decided Spike was teasing about the Mark thing – sort of. “Haha. You think you’re funny.”

 

“He’s making you anxious?”

 

“Uh huh. It’s like he’s moving in.” Buffy eyed the Watcher warily. She wasn’t an unpacker-type. Moving around a lot made a person want to have quick and easy access to his or her belongings. Or maybe that was just Buffy. Unpacking meant settling down and the potential for loss. 

 

“Yeah, well, you’re not.” Was that an edge in his tone? She had no idea. Texting lacked nuance.

 

“I love you,” she dashed off. 

 

“You don’t need to always reassure me. I believe you, love.” Buffy liked that Spike knew she loved him and believed her after over a year of being officially a couple, and she also knew he loved the reassurance.

 

Her stomach fluttered with nerves. “I need you to be careful.”

 

“I will be. Besides, you’re here. You’ll be there tonight.” Spike was referring to their plans to meet up with the woman they were targeting that evening in the lounge. 

 

“What’s the place again?” Buffy picked up the map off the end table. 

 

“The Rundle Lounge. It’s where Rupert and the local Slayer’s sources say our target likes to have a drink or two.” 

 

The lounge was where Spike was going to try to pick the lady up in order to find out more about her. Buffy didn’t like that part one bit, but she’d go along with it. After all, there had been several tourists and locals who had their heads ripped off in and around the city. The local Calgary Slayer, Beth, had shaken down the demon crowd for information. The best she could uncover were sightings of a creature who appeared to be half-human and half-dog.

 

Buffy’s fingers flew over the keyboard after she set aside the map. She was very glad they both had cell phones now. “Think the upper half of her will look like a dog or the bottom half?” 

 

“Don’t rightly know, but I’m assuming the lower half unless she uses some sort of glamour, which I should be able to detect. Otherwise, how would she fit in here? It’s a decidedly human crowd.” Spike ability to detect magic was often useful and one of the reasons he was being used as a sort of bait. That and he was attractive.

 

Buffy worried with her bottom lip and stood up to peek out the window at the beautiful snow-covered mountains. The view was spectacular though she couldn’t really enjoy it. Not with so much on her mind. “I wonder why she’s here.” Mark’s research had yielded very little other than that the creature originated from over a thousand miles away on some island. They’d had a name of some sort – Adlets? 

 

“Maybe just vacation? She must have a lot of money to throw at a place like this. Unlike us.” Giles was still working on a stipend for all the Slayers from Council funds, which were invested and earned a lot of money. The Council had been rolling in dough all these years, and Buffy had seen none of it and neither had the Watchers in the field.

 

“A very bloody and deadly vacation. She has a thirst for violence.” She squinted as a cloud drifted past and the sun peeked out, bathing the world in golden light.

 

“Pot kettle.” She could imagine Spike’s snort of amusement.

 

She set her jaw though he couldn’t see her. “Hey! I don’t rip people’s heads off.” 

 

“Human people.” 

 

“Good point.” She could concede to him that one. “Promise me that you’ll be careful.”

 

“I will, pet. Got a lot to live for. You go to that spa. Enjoy yourself.” 

 

“Before you almost get killed?” The butterflies flapped their wings again – big huge sweeping motions that left her feeling slightly sick. She shivered though the room was getting warmer. Mark had just turned up the heat.

 

“Don’t skip that far ahead. You have to enjoy the moment.”

 

Boy, howdy, did she know that! “I know.” She hesitated and wrote again, “I love you.”

 

“Love you, too. See you tonight.”

 

* * *

 

Spike was uncomfortable again and not because he was wearing a suit that Buffy had picked out for him prior to their trip. It was because the whole atmosphere was not his scene. If he was going to a bar, he preferred something more casual full of locals he knew and maybe a couple of kitten poker games to join. 

 

The Rundle Lounge was none of those things. It was wide open and spacious with a long staircase that led to an upper level with windows that looked out on the tree-covered mountains. The chairs and tables were formal and matching in a grey color scheme that reminded him of the lobby and a castle of some sort. The cold walls were warmed by the Christmas greenery. People dressed up for drinks in the evening and high tea in the afternoon – a sort of faux formality that Spike had long left behind. Dru had dragged him places like this on occasion, usually when she wanted to dress up and eat “fancy” people. 

 

Now, here he was again sitting at a reserved bar, but this time, he was on a hunt for a lady who probably smelled a bit like Willow’s wolf, and he didn’t really relish the possibility of getting his head ripped off while he was dressed the way he was. It was better to get staked wearing his duster and fighting someone worthy of fighting. 

 

That aside, he was firmly in a relationship with Buffy, and that was not something he wanted to risk losing on some mission for Rupert and a Slayer Spike didn’t know even if it was the right thing. Spike had his soul and would fight the good fight and do what was right, but he now knew he was no Angel despite his attempts to sort it out in that direction in L.A. And Spike would still do whatever he needed to do for Buffy. He loved her, and she loved him, which still amazed him on a daily basis.

 

“How may I help you?” the polished-looking bartender asked, sliding a thick, luxury napkin his way. 

 

Spike wanted to order a beer, but that felt wrong somehow. “Whisky on the rocks.”

 

The bartender nodded with a small smile. “Yes, sir.” 

 

Once Spike’s drink was in hand, he turned his chair around, wishing it was a stool and watched the guests. There were the usual couples on vacation or their honeymoon with only eyes for one another, and then, there were the groups of singles – men and women who peeked at one another across the way, sussing out who might be approachable or whether it was worth the risk to approach. He sensed no demons and smelled no canine scents. A woman or two gave him side eye when they came up to the bar for cocktails, but no one spoke to him. 

 

Spike internally exhaled, annoyed with himself for being an obvious-one-woman kind of guy, and he made an effort to seem more open by sucking in his cheeks and giving some of the women a look – the kind of look he used when hunting. Mostly, he aimed it at women who looked like the sketch that the Watcher had made of the woman that the local Slayer had seen when she’d been attacked. 

 

When he was on his fourth drink and had the inkling of a buzz, he finally gave up and studied his half-empty glass with an audible sigh this time.

 

The bartender, who was a young man in his twenties, leaned on the bar near him. “Not having much luck, eh?”

 

Spike sighed, hoping the sound didn’t seem like he was annoyed with the bloke. “Not really.” 

 

“It’s the weekday. We get more of a lively, feistier crowd when we have live music on the weekends,” the bartender explained.

 

Spike ran a finger around the rim of his glass before cupping it. “Yeah?” 

 

“Yeah. We’re even more likely to have women slip us their number, which we’re not allowed to follow up on, but most of us do. We just keep it discrete.” The bartender was revealing more than he should.

 

“Can’t say I blame you,” Spike said noncommittally.

 

The man studied Spike, his dark eyes sharp. “You seem like you’re looking for someone particular.” 

 

Spike kept his voice even. “Not really. But I can’t say I wouldn’t mind seeing a lady I caught a glimpse of around here recently. She’s got long blonde hair with a lavender streak or two. Tall-ish.” Spike waved his fingers over his hand. “Bit of a shiny turquoise bauble on her finger. Probably a topaz.” 

 

The bartender’s response was quick. “Ah. You’re looking for Rina.” 

 

Spike lifted an eyebrow. “You know her then?”

 

“She’s been here the last couple of weeks. Always see her alone. She usually comes in for a drink or two and leaves.” 

 

“You seen her with anyone?” Spike didn’t really care about this unless she had a posse of some sort. 

 

“Nah. She usually says there are slim pickings after a bit and then heads up to her room. She’s really sweet and a generous tipper.” The bartender picked up a towel and wiped down the bar where a group of guests had abandoned their drinks. 

 

The “sweet” descriptor threw Spike for a loop. That’s not what he expected. “Good to know.”

 

“And if you’re looking to meet her, she’s coming this way.” The bartender nodded past Spike.

 

Spike turned in his seat and was immediately surprised at what he sensed from the woman approaching him. She was really nothing like what he expected. 

 

* * *

 

Buffy was going back and forth between staring at Spike and scanning the room for danger from the upper level of the lounge, which was distracting with all the other guests enjoying themselves. Her dress was simple and perfect for fighting if needed but had a few sequins which were annoyingly itchy and distracting. 

 

In a parallel position of watching and waiting, Mark was seated across the table from her and was slowly sipping a brandy. Buffy had a diet Coke with added grenadine. She was so lame, but drinking still wasn’t her thing.

 

After several minutes, Mark said quietly, “You love him.”

 

Buffy continued her vigilant watch, her fingers gripping the table. “Aren’t you paying attention to what’s happening?” 

 

“I am. Just trying to blend in with the crowd, and you look like you’re about to jump over the wall there.” 

 

Buffy forced herself to relax. “Oh. Guess I’m a little too obvious. Sorry.” She forced a smile but knew she was failing at looking the part. 

 

“There are three of us. I think we’ll have it covered.”

 

Buffy trailed her finger around the edge of her glass. “Yeah.” She took a deep breath and then let the air out slowly. 

 

Across the table, Mark nodded at her, taking a sip of his drink. “That’s it.”

 

“Okay.” She nodded to herself and gazed out over the festive crowd, trying to appear like a tourist taking in the whole atmosphere. “I think I got it.”

 

Mark’s glass clanked lightly on the tabletop. “You love him.” 

 

“I do.” Buffy’s heart ached when she thought about how she almost lost him again. 

 

“It’s strange, right? A vampire and a Slayer in love.”

 

Buffy gave him an even look. “Not so much.” She gazed down at Spike who was nursing a cocktail. “It actually makes a lot of sense. Took me more than once to figure it out.” 

 

“There’s a story there.” Mark sat forward in his chair so that he was side by side with her in the watch.

 

“Too long a story to tell.” Buffy didn’t think she could summarize it quickly. “I fell in love with the right one the second time around.” She suddenly wished she could slip her arm around Spike’s waist. It was silly and illogical, but she felt a little jealous that he was waiting for someone who wasn’t her.

 

“Did you ever want a family?” 

 

Mark’s question threw her for a loop. “I do have a family. Well, I have a sister. Most of my family’s not blood though, and everyone’s spread out all over the place.” It hadn’t taken long for her and the rest of the Scoobies to be more distant despite their closeness in Sunnydale. The bond was there – always would be, but there was a loss there. Buffy willed tears not to come. 

 

Mark rescued her by sharing. “I don’t have much of a family either for reasons too long to get into. Enrolled in Watcher school when I was too young, and it’s all I’ve ever known. I get the separation piece. We’re all close during training, but once we’re in the field, it’s very lonely. Beth was my charge from the beginning even before she was called. She’s kind of like my daughter and kid sister all rolled in one.” Mark pressed his lips together.

 

Buffy suddenly wondered how lonely Giles must have been with only teenagers as companions. She made a mental note to call him soon just to chat and not to talk about work stuff. “That makes sense. And hence the need to kill whatever hurt her.” 

 

Mark clenched his jaw. “Exactly. My Christmas present to her. It’s only fair.” He hesitated and then added, “But someday, I’d like to have my own child. . . a child I raise.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “With a wife, of course.”

 

“Do Watchers get married? I thought they were like monks. No love. No fun stuff in the bedroom.” Buffy sounded perky and naïve, and she didn’t know Mark too well, but she hoped he got her brand of sarcasm. And there was some truth to the lack of action. Poor Giles. Now that she was older, thinking about Giles having a sex life didn’t seem quite so gross as it did when she was in high school. 

 

Luckily, Mark laughed, and it took Buffy a second for her mind to flip back to him laughing about her Watcher-monk humor. “Well, let’s just say they strongly discourage it. Or well, they did, but I was always a dreamer. I made my way to England to study to be a Watcher. And I’m from Seattle originally.” 

 

“Ohhh…I thought you were Canadian.”

 

“Nope.” Mark reached back for his drink. Holding the glass over the edge, he asked, “Do you want kids?” Oh, he was going back there.

 

“I don’t think so.” Despite no longer being the one-girl-in-all-the-world, Buffy still didn’t see herself having the white-picket-fence-kind-of life. She didn’t think it was possible. “And well, kinda hard to have kids if you’re dating a vampire. Even if I wanted them.”

 

“Ah.” Mark was quiet for a few seconds. “Seems like you have more options now than before. Less pressure. More time to do things you might want to do that you couldn’t before.” Buffy wasn’t sure if he was referring to the kids thing or just in general.

 

Buffy shrugged. “I thought about going back to college. Then, the thing in L.A. happened, and I helped out. So, the options thing kinda got put on the backburner. But that aside, I think I won’t ever retire from being a Slayer. It’s kinda in my blood. This one Slayer – the one who got called after I died the first time. Her name was Kendra. I was wanting a normal life with all the normal life trappings like studying and gossiping about boys. But she told me that the Slayer was who I was. She was right, and I’m okay with that.” Buffy surprised herself as she said the final words. Whoa.

 

“Good for you. Sounds like you had to grow up fast, too.”

 

She smiled at him. “I did.” 

 

Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye, and she abruptly stood, alarm flowing through her veins and her muscles readying for a fight. The lady from Mark’s sketch was approaching Spike. 

 

Mark was on his feet, too. “That’s her.”

 

* * *

 

The walk to the Waldhaus Pub had been well worth it. The path was clear of snow, and though the sky was heavy with grey clouds that no doubt masked the stars, golden streetlamps lit their way. Inside, the pub was narrow and inviting with chocolate brown beams of wood arching through and a red wall on one end. The furniture was of matching darkness and the lights low. The holiday greenery, tiny lights, soft background carols, and a hint of cinnamon and pinecones only made the whole effect cozier.

 

Plus, they served beer, onion rings, and spicy wings. Standard bar fare.

 

Spike felt right at home.

 

Now, he and his companion were seated a little private table and “getting to know” one another. He picked up a still-hot onion ring, wishing it was a blooming onion but pleased that the hotel even had anything fried. Still, the fried onion melted in his mouth when he took a bite. 

 

Rina had turned out to be human. Completely and totally one hundred percent human. No whiff of dog or wolf or any form of canine about her. She was also friendly and engaging, and though she was probably in her early-30s, she had a mix of youth and strength in her eyes that intrigued Spike. Plus, she was keeping up with him on the wings and beer. He was impressed. 

 

Spike felt the signature prickle at the back of his neck that meant Buffy was there, too, and he knew she was seated with Mark at the long bar behind him. She was probably watching him like a hawk. He wondered vaguely if she was jealous. She didn’t seem to be the jealous type, but then again, he was always all about her and never really gave her much reason to experience that particular emotion except that one time at the failed Sunnydale wedding when he’d brought a date.

 

So far, Spike had gotten the standard information from Rina: her name, where she was from (Canada), her occupation (veterinarian), and type of music loved (punk/alternative, which Spike appreciated). He knew her sign (Gemini) and the fact that she was single and had been for a while. He’d shared bits about himself, too, though he changed his name to William and his age to thirty-one. 

 

Now, he needed to nudge her a little further without seeming too obvious. “So what are you doing here at this hotel by yourself at Christmas?”

 

Something shifted in Rina’s expression, which she covered by taking a bite of her wing and then licking her fingers. She gave him a small smile and pointed to her mouth as she exaggerated her chewing – no doubt buying time before she replied to his query. She took in a deep breath after she swallowed. “Whew. Um, well, I just love this place. A-and my mom died this year. It was somewhere we always came together.”

 

Spike could tell she was lying by the way her heart started picking up speed, but he wasn’t sure which part was a lie because there were genuine tears in her eyes and grief on her face. So, he went with the real, covering her warm hand with his cooler one. The large stone of her London blue topaz ring pressed into his finger. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

 

She sniffed and blinked back tears, offering him a watery smile. “Thanks. It was sudden and unexpected. You know how you think your mother is going to live forever because she’s strong as a horse and healthy but then. . .” Tears sheened her eyes again, and Spike could tell she was trying really hard not to cry. She fanned her hand in front of her face and held her breath until the tears were contained. “S-sorry. It’s just so fresh.”

 

“I hear you. I lost my mum in a very painful and unexpected way, too.” Spike would just leave out the part where he turned his mother, and she came back wrong. 

 

She blinked her eyes rapidly and forced herself to breathe. “So you get it.” 

 

“I do.”

 

Her heart rate was slowing. “Did your mother also leave you with some unwanted responsibilities, too?” 

 

Spike removed his hand as it only seemed fitting given that he barely knew the woman. “Luckily, no. I take it your mum did?” 

 

Rina nodded. “It’s kind of the reason that I’m here – ”

 

At that moment, the stone in her ring flashed a brilliant yellow. The flare was bright but rapid – so rapid that Spike almost thought his mind was playing tricks on him. A heavy sense of magic settled onto his shoulders. It was something he’d felt only rarely around Red when she cast a powerful spell. Rack’s magic had been a light irritating tickle that made him want to walk the other way to get away from it. This - this was something ancient and powerful – almost like Blue but not quite. 

 

Staring at her ring in horror, Rina pulled her burgundy napkin out of her lap. “I-I’m so sorry, but I need to go.” She hastened to her feet, grabbing her small handbag but leaving behind her coat. 

 

“Wait.” Spike reached out a hand, not wanting to show any of his vampire strength or to upset the other bar patrons. “Rina. What’s wrong?”

 

“I just have to go.” She dashed toward the pub’s exit. 

 

Snagging her heavy jacket after shrugging on his own, Spike trailed after her, giving Buffy a small nod. He sent her a quick text. “Give me five.”

 

Her text reply was quick. “Got it.”

 

The snow was falling harder when Spike found himself on the path outside. He saw Rina running to the left, and he followed, catching up to her in no time at all. He snagged her elbow, trying not to be rough. 

 

“Rina. Wait.”

 

Rina’s eyes were panicked and glanced ahead but then back at Spike. She smiled at him despite her fear and touched his arm. “I-I can’t. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go back the other way. This is bigger than anyone can handle but me.”

 

Spike couldn’t leave a lady to something dangerous on her own. He set his jaw. “I won’t go.” He shoved the coat at her. “You can’t be out here in this weather without covering.”

 

Shivering, Rina accepted the jacket and pulled it on while she studied his face. “Okay, but I have to hurry. I only have a brief window to take care of something that you’d never in your wildest dreams believe, and it’s very dangerous – ” 

 

Without much thought, Spike scooped her into his arms, and Rina gasped. Buffy ran up through the haze of snow at that moment with Mark in tow; as usual, she hadn’t waited five minutes. Spike grinned. “Hey, love.”

 

Buffy’s eyes were shining in the light from the path. “Hey, yourself. Where are we going?” 

 

Confusion clouded Rina’s face. “What?” 

 

“We can go faster with me carrying you,” Spike addressed the bewildered Rina. “Just to be clear. I’m taken. My lady is here with me, and we’re here to help. Dangerous is not a problem.” 

 

Buffy held out her hand and shook Rina’s. “I’m Buffy.”

 

Mark ran up and handed Buffy the bag of what Spike knew were weapons of the sharp and pointy variety. “Where are we headed?” 

 

“You’re sure?” Rina said with uncertainty in her voice. 

 

Spike took a risk. “Saw your ring flash. Felt the magic. It’s powerful and old, and it means something. From your reaction, it might be the same thing we’re after, too.” 

 

“Y-you know about magic?”

 

Buffy blinked through the snow. “It’s a crazy world out there that most people are in complete denial about.”

 

Mark spoke then. “If this has anything to do with the Adlet, we know what we’re dealing with. Well, we thought the creature was you.” This wasn’t quite the truth. They just knew about the dead bodies and what Beth had told them, which admittedly wasn’t much. Not too long ago, they’d thought their target would be a woman who was part dog. 

 

Rina’s eyes grew round. “Oh.” She paused as she processed. “Oh. It’s not me. And well, there are more than one. You call them Adlets?” 

 

Mark nodded. “We do.” 

 

Buffy tensed as a group of tourists passed by them going the opposite direction – the snow no doubt driving them inside. “We need to go. Tell us where.” 

 

Rina pointed. “That way. And how can we go faster?”

 

Spike started to run down the path through the falling snow. “I’m a vampire. Fast comes with the territory.”

 

“A v-vampire? A good one? Like Edward Cullen?”

 

Spike was confused. “Who?”

 

* * *

 

The snowflakes were bigger and thicker than any Buffy had ever seen before; they even dimmed the lights along the path toward wherever they were going, and the night sky was invisible and greyish black. But she somehow managed to keep sight of Spike’s form as she purposefully ran between him and Mark so that the Watcher didn’t get lost. 

 

They’d passed more bundled up people heading back to the hotel, and with each group they passed, she felt relieved that they weren’t somehow headless. 

 

A clearing opened up before them, the edges of the path melting away. The silhouette of trees loomed to her right, and the bright orange and yellow of flames flicked and danced and disappeared before her. Her chest tightened as she thought of her hand and Spike’s ablaze together before the world came crashing down around them, and she rushed a little too quickly toward him, straining to view his form in the night. It had been a year and a half, but she was still fearful of losing him, probably the same way he feared losing her. 

 

“Buffy! Slower!” Mark called from behind her, desperation in his voice, just as another group of tourists hurtled by. Their sobs and cries of distress were flung in her direction. 

 

Damn it!

 

Buffy plunged on ahead despite the Watcher’s signal that she was going too fast – her breath coming out in faster puffs as warmth left her body. As she drew close to the deadly warmth of the fire, she stumbled and regained her footing only to discover with horror that she’d tripped over a woman who had quite literally lost her head and not in a Gentlemanly-head-exploding-kind-of way. The neck wound gaped dark red and jagged, and Buffy gasped before she could stop herself. 

 

Someone caught her elbow, and she jerked away, dancing to one side and whirling to face the owner of the touch. “Spike!” Then, she saw the forms of several other bodies strewn as far as she could see and felt sick. 

 

“Where’s the Watcher?” Spike said with urgency. “We need weapons!” 

 

Rina hovered just behind him, clutching at Spike’s coat. “You can’t just kill them!”

 

Buffy felt her anger flare. “Look around at the dead bodies! Whoever – whatever did this has to die before they keep killing!” 

 

“B-but they’re my charges,” Rina sobbed. 

 

Mark caught up to them, wheezing as his chest heaved in his attempt to catch his breath. He slung the weapons back at Buffy who caught the strap with ease. He bent, putting his hands on his thighs in a way that reminded Buffy of Giles. “The Adlets won’t stop. According to the legends, t-they’re insane.”

 

“And I need a chance to try to contain them!” Rina insisted, but her tone was rapidly becoming half-hearted and was more than a bit hopeless. 

 

Spike softened. “Look, pet. I’m assuming these half-pups are your mother’s lovely little gift to you upon her passing, but they’ve gotten out of hand. Even if you could contain them, the legacy they’d leave with you would haunt you every single day you tended to them. Trust me. I know about being haunted.”

 

Buffy longed to touch Spike then – to provide some reassurance to him that he didn’t need to be alone with the guilt that came with the soul – something she knew that he didn’t wallow in but that still lingered. She had enough of her own regrets to get his on some level. “We can handle this. It’s kind of our job. . . that we can explain in more detail later.”

 

Though Rina still sounded tentative, she said, “There are five of them.”

 

With a gurgle, Mark was jerked back with abruptness, leaving a swirl of white snowflakes in his wake. 

 

“Bloody hell!” Spike launched himself through the floating ice.

 

“Spike!” Buffy shouted, thrusting the bag of weapons to the startled Rina, who sagged with the weight of them. “Open these. Be right back.” 

 

All her instincts trained on her surroundings, Buffy followed the sounds of grunting and punches, which somehow seemed farther away than was possible. Time passed with impossible slowness as she desperately searched. 

 

She thought she caught glimpses of movement ahead, but without warning, a towering man stepped in front of her, his long, dark hair wild and tangled and his bare legs covered in thick fur that tapered down to a large paw. He growled – the sound canine and menacing. 

 

But menacing didn’t frighten Buffy, and she charged ahead, her fist leading the way as she punched the man-dog in his square jaw. 

 

The creature whimpered in surprise but came back with a swift rally of punches in return, which Buffy mostly managed to dodge. She ducked one particularly wild swing and swept her leg around, knocking the creature off his feet. . . paws. He flung himself back toward her, grabbing her arm and dragging her roughly up, but she used the ground to push off and smash her boot into his face. He dropped her like a hot potato, and she scrambled to her feet again – one hand now gloveless and sliding in the snow. The lost article of clothing was a distraction, and the creature delivered a well-timed hit to her breastbone. 

 

She reeled – the wind knocked out of her for a moment. The snow was an unusual turf for her, and she fell onto her bottom on the frozen ground, her tailbone singing out its protests as stars filled her vision. 

 

Somehow, she bounced back up to find her foe gone. As she squinted in the snow, Spike was by her side with a very-much-alive and dazed-looking Mark. The Watcher was whole, but his clothes were torn – the heavy outerwear having protected him from too much damage. 

 

“You okay, love?” Spike asked. Simple was best in a crisis.

 

Buffy put her bare hand on his coat-covered arm. Still solid. That was reassuring. “Yeah. Where’d they go?”

 

“Dunno. Can’t hear them, which is bloody eerie.”

 

As if on cue, more growls rang out all around them – the snow making them invisible. Great. “We’re surrounded. They’re acting like a pack of wolves or something.”

 

“Makes sense,” Mark managed. “They hunt together. Regrouping to take us all on at once.”

 

“Perfect,” Buffy said, moving in front of the vulnerable Watcher as Spike took his back. 

 

The snarling grew more guttural and deeper as they approached. The snowfall was rapid and denser, and there was something in the energy of the sound that resonated like something Buffy rarely experienced before. An ancient force settled heavy in her gut, making her feel like she was dragging down – her body getting more difficult to move. Tiredness overcame her – her brain tugging her toward the precipice of unconsciousness as her eyes closed. She only vaguely knew that her knees crumpled underneath her, and she absurdly wondered if she would soon be headless or would be nearly headless like Nick. 

 

“Stop!” a voice shouted. 

 

The magic faltered but only for a moment, but when it resumed the tune was interwoven with a strange language that seemed to partner almost perfectly with the sounds. Something lifted ever so slightly within Buffy, which gave her a foothold to overcome the drive to give in to dreams. When her eyelids sprang open, she discovered that the snow had lightened but not because it had stopped falling hard and fast but because something was forcing the snow to canopy around them like they were in a reverse snow globe. Five unmoving shadowy figures closed in around them, but someone else had joined them.

 

Rina’s head was high, her hair loose and blowing from some wind that only touched her, and the topaz ring on her finger glowed cerulean, making everything seem eerier. She was the one chanting in the unfamiliar language – chanting that reminded Buffy of Willow unearthly voice when she cast a massive spell. But there was something different about Rina. She was wavering – her voice starting to hesitate. She wasn’t as powerful as Willow. As she wobbled, the dog-men took shaky, predatory steps toward them, their speed increasing with each second that ticked by.

 

Buffy’s gaze flew to the ground where she saw the unzipped sack of weapons, her eyes lighting on a large blade. She and Spike exchanged a wordless glance, and they dove for the weapons together as the dog-men escaped the hold on them, and snow began to fall in heavier clumps again. She barely glimpsed Mark rush to Rina’s side as she fell. Buffy and Spike began to advance on their targets, hoping to strike before the other magic could affect them again.

 

Buffy barely saw anything – effectively blind like when Giles blindfolded her to test her instincts, and she trusted those same instincts now, whirling and kicking, and arcing her weapon to hit her targets. Spike moved around her with ease, and Buffy felt something sing inside her – something that only seemed to happen when she fought side-by-side with him. She almost laughed but didn’t – she retained enough presence of mind that she knew she shouldn’t laugh about something so deadly serious, and somehow, far too quickly, she decapitated the final creature.

 

Spike glided his right arm around her waist as they lowered their weapons, breathing heavily in the frosty night. He pressed a kiss to her forehead without a word – not even a bit of snark passing his lips. She couldn’t bring herself to pun because all they heard were Rina’s sobs. 

 

Together, she and Spike found a flashlight and then Mark, who was helping the upset Rina to her feet where she leaned heavily against him. 

 

“I-I failed,” she whispered, tears pouring down her cheeks. “One task. My mother left me one task, and I failed.”

 

“But you didn’t make them kill all those people,” Buffy countered.

 

“It’s no consolation, I know, but you did the best you could,” Spike added. 

 

Mark hugged her shoulders. “Let’s get out of this weather. Warm up.”

 

“I, for one, will be glad to get out of this dress,” Buffy said. The sequins were reasserting their irritating itchiness. 

 

“And not very practical for this weather,” Rina managed with a small smile. “Promise you’ll explain who you are?”

 

“If you do, too,” Mark said, tightening his arm reassuringly around her shoulders. 

 

* * *

 

Spike held Buffy’s hand as he led them down one of the many tapestry-lined and Christmas-decorated hallways toward his intended destination. Buffy was relaxed and happy and willing to do pretty much anything he wanted now that the mission was over by a couple of days. 

 

“You know? All these old dressers and wardrobes everywhere?” Buffy pointed at one particularly tall one. “Like that one?”

 

“They’re hardly old, you know.” He tucked her hand in the crook of his right arm. 

 

“It reminds me of something that if we went through the doors and pushed past all the insides, we’d end up in Narnia on an adventure!” Her voice contained a happy little lilt that Spike wanted to hear more of.

 

So, of course, he went along with it. “Another adventure already? I’d have thought you’d be all adventured out.”

 

“I so totally am.” Her shoulders slumped a little in exhaustion. Her eyes were still alive with playfulness. “But maybe we could take a peek in one before we leave?”

 

Spike chuckled. “Maybe we should.”

 

She hugged his arm. “We should.” She paused for a heartbeat. “Where are you taking me anyway? I thought you would want to hang out with Rina and Mark all night. You were cleaning up on the poker chips, and we had bottomless hot chocolates with marshmallows within reach. Plus, that hall was really beautiful. And the knight was all. . . knightly and festive with his decorations.” 

 

“I could have, but I planned something a little special since we’re stuck here.” 

 

The hotel had comped everyone’s stay and offered extra free nights, but the clearing near the pub was completely off limits as the authorities investigated the murders. Buffy, Spike, Mark, and Rina had been helpless to get rid of the bodies of the dog-men, and Spike considered that the cops were having a field day with the denial around that one. Luckily, Mark’s magic on their weapons hid them well enough as the police interviewed everyone on what they had seen.

 

Buffy brought her free hand to her forehead in mock-outrage. “Oh, it’s so tragic to be stuck here of all places.” She was carrying her coat, so it slid down to her elbow, and she almost dropped it. “Oops.” 

 

As Buffy regained her balance, Spike pointed out the obvious. “And I think Rina and the Watcher are – ”

 

“Smitten?” Buffy grinned. “They so are.” She narrowed her eyes at him as they kept walking. “And you’re matchmaking.” She clasped his arm again. “That’s really sweet.”

 

“Which part?” He tried to act nonchalant, but she didn’t fall for it.

 

“Both!” She held her lips up for a kiss.

 

Spike gladly stopped to acquiesce, deepening the gesture just enough to elicit a tiny moan from her before breaking away. 

 

An older couple dressed for the type of thing he usually avoided passed them with a disapproving glance. Spike was tempted to push Buffy against the wall and really go at it, but he didn’t.

 

Buffy didn’t even notice the other couple, and they resumed their journey. “I still don’t understand exactly how it all worked or what happened. I mean, now I get that Rina inherited the legacy of keeping the five dog-men in check from her mother who inherited it from her mother and so on into the past back to when her great-great-great-great-something grandmother had mystical sex with a dog and had ten kids, but why wasn’t Rina able to contain the five she was in charge of?” 

 

The five who had remained in Canada had gone insane while the other five who ran across the frozen water ended up becoming the first Europeans, or as Spike suspected, the origins of the modern werewolf. Rina’s ancestors had trapped and kept the five mentally-challenged Adlets in captivity on Baffin Island for centuries. They’d tried everything (even modern psychiatry) to help them to no avail. The female matriarch of the family had some sort of magical hold over them and was saddled with taking care of them. Legend had it that they’d occasionally escaped to feast on other humans but rarely had they traveled as far as Banff. 

 

“The Watcher thinks that the magic that Rina’s ancestors channeled diminished with each passing generation and that Rina just couldn’t hold them.”

 

“She’s lucky.” Buffy pressed her lips together and glanced forward. 

 

“How’s that?”

 

“She has this sacred duty that she was stuck with. Now, they’re dead, and she gets to be free.” Spike wasn’t sure what to make of Buffy’s tone – not quite sad and not quite envious. Before he could comment, she continued, “Kinda like me.” She offered him a half-smile. “Sort of.”

 

Spike was silent for a long moment as he thought about how to approach this delicate subject. As they rounded a corner, he decided to go with the truth. “You don’t have to let it be that way. You carry that burden all on your own.” She was about to protest but he kept going. “Hold on. Yes, you played a role in making things the way they are now with all the bitty Slayers, but there are always positives with the negatives. And one of those positives is that you get to choose, and if I have it my way, you’ll let yourself off the hook for all the negatives.” 

 

Buffy looked deflated. “I don’t know if I can.”

 

“Own them but don’t punish yourself so hard for them because you can’t change the past.” 

 

“Maybe at some point, I might be able to let myself. . .” This time, her smile touched her eyes. “Live my own life. With you.” 

 

The irony of her words was not lost on Spike, and he returned her smile. “Good.”

 

“And d-hey! Why are we headed toward the spa?” She bounced a little. “Did you buy us a couples massage? Because that facial I got? It didn’t do diddly for my complexion.”

 

“No. Do I look like I’m made of money?” He protested, tugging her past the spa entrance. “And any massaging should be done by each other.”

 

Buffy gave him a speculative glance. “I don’t want to know how you got free passes, do I?”

 

“I got them fair and square,” he insisted, feeling defensiveness-of-old as only a slight sting in the back of his heart.

 

“By flirting!” She hit him with her hip – saucy woman.

 

“Can’t blame a fellow if a lady takes a little innocent question about locations as flirting. . . though I don’t think she did.”

 

“Uh huh.”

 

Spike put his nose in the air out of indignation. “I’m a loyal bloke.”

 

Buffy slid her fingers down his arm and pushed her fingers through his. “Now that I know.” They passed the workout center. “I guess we’re not working out.”

 

He lifted an eyebrow at her, his voice deepening. “Not yet anyway.”

 

The entrance to the large indoor swimming pool loomed. Lots of guests were inside, enjoying the water and lounging in the chairs beside the water. Laughter and conversation filled the air as they entered the space. 

 

“You’re taking me to the pool?” she whispered. “But I don’t have a swimsuit and the shop is closed.” 

 

Spike searched for the staff member he’d spoken with earlier. He was supposed to hold onto the. . . aha, there he was. Spike dragged Buffy over to the man. 

 

Jake greeted him with a wide grin and held out the requested items. “Here you go, sir.”

 

Spike accepted the package and two large towels. “Thank you.” He passed the man a tip.

 

Jake nodded and gave him a little two-fingered salute before heading toward a group who had signaled him from the pool in need of more drinks. 

 

Buffy eyed the logo on the bag. “You bought me a swimsuit?” 

 

Spike smiled and passed her the bag. “Maybe.”

 

“How do you know it’ll fit?”

 

The words popped out before he thought about them. “I’ve been buying ladies’ gifts for over a century. Said gifts included clothing.”

Luckily, Buffy took his faux pas well because she was teasing when she said, “Not what I wanted to hear.” 

 

Spike lifted a shoulder. “And maybe I peeked at your tags when you moved into my room.” 

 

Unfortunately, they had to change clothes in separate dressing areas because appearances and all, but Spike didn’t mind too much because when Buffy came out in the two-piece he’d picked for her, she was stunning – her tan skin glowing against the white fabric, and he had to work hard to hide the growing evidence of his desire for her from showing in the flimsy fabric he was wearing. 

 

She smiled shyly at him. “You did good.” She gave him a once-over. “And you look handsome. Black, of course.”

 

His swimsuit was black with almost imperceptible charcoal-grey stripes. “Of course.” Buffy was carrying her clothes and boots, and he nodded at her heavy coat. “Now, put that on.” 

 

“What? Why?” Her eyes grew round as saucers as the truth dawned on her. “Are you crazy? It’s like a hundred below out there! And do you see anyone else outside?” She held her hand toward the clear glass windows. 

 

The torrential snow had ceased falling that morning, and the world outside the hotel was coated in a blanket of white. The sun had just completed its daily march across the sky and had settled down below the mountains, leaving behind only bands of pinks and yellows and oranges. 

 

“They’re all a little afraid to go out now, but that’s our time to have a bit of fun. Well, fun for me anyway after being cooped up indoors all day.” He pouted a little.

 

Buffy of long ago would have punched him in the nose, but now, she only patted his shoulder at the sight of his lower lip. “I enjoy patrolling with you, too.” That was the most she’d say in a room full of strangers, and her words were genuine. “But still – cold! A-and you have me in a skimpy swimsuit!”

 

“There’s a pool out there, love,” he nudged, done with the banter and wanting her to see the surprise. “It’s a saltwater pool – warm like hot springs. See the steam rising up?” 

 

Buffy moved closer to the windows. “Ohhh. Why is no one out there?”

 

Spike stood behind her, his arm slinking around her hip. “I’d reckon because they’re all afraid. Headless corpses. Though most people don’t know much about what happened.”

 

Buffy stepped back into him and shivered with desire. “And the vague is sometimes scarier.”

 

“Right.”

 

She took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go. You promise it’s warm?”

 

“I promise.”

 

There was a fair amount of squealing and laughter as they stepped into the frigid air and hurried to the pool. Buffy threw off her coat and slid rapidly into the water where she sighed with deep happiness. Spike soon joined her, and they bobbed together in the warm liquid. 

 

“You were right,” Buffy said, smiling at him. “It’s perfect. Warmer than a warm bath and cooler than a hot tub. Just right.”

 

“We won’t stay long because I don’t want you to get too cold, and I don’t know how long the staff will let us be out here considering everything that’s happened, but I wanted you to have something special.”

 

Buffy spun slowly around – her long damp hair arcing behind her, and Spike watched her take in the white-laden evergreen trees, the snow-capped mountains, and the color-streaked sky. “It’s breathtaking.”

 

Spike only had eyes for Buffy. “It is.” 

 

She caught him watching her, and she swam close to him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She pressed a gentle kiss on his lips and drew back. “Thank you for this if I forget to tell you later.” 

 

He nudged his forehead against hers. “We should do things like this more often.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Take a vacation.”

 

“We should.” Buffy’s expression became thoughtful. “Mark and I were talking earlier while we were waiting for Rina to show up.”

 

“Oh, yeah?” Spike wasn’t jealous – just curious. 

 

“Yeah. We talked about me being a Slayer among many and what I wanted to do with my life now. I mean, I had a thought about it at one point, but things kind of busy.”

 

Spike tucked a half-wet/half-dry strand of hair behind Buffy’s ear. “Your wants and needs got overshadowed again.”

 

She nodded. “I told him that I’m a Slayer – that it’s in my blood, but that’s not exactly right. I-I mean, I’m more than that.”

 

“Of course you are.”

 

“And you’re more than a vampire.”

 

“Gee, thanks, pet.”

 

“And together – we’re more than either piece alone.” 

 

Spike wanted to kiss her then, but he forced himself to hold back because he wanted to hear what she had to say. “Go on,” he nudged.

 

“A-and remember how you’re my home?” She gazed up at him with her big green eyes.

 

Spike could never hear that enough times, and he could drown in those eyes. “Got the sign you gave me. Take it wherever we go.” 

 

“Well, I think I might want to settle down somewhere. With you.”

 

“Done traveling then?” Relief spread through his chest. Truth be told, he was tired of it, too. He’d meant what he’d told her in Sunnydale right before the big collapse; he had been everywhere and seen everything. He just wanted to be with her wherever she might want to be and if she’d continue to have him, but being in one place sounded. . . nice.

 

“I’m pretty sure.” She lifted her head in determination. “I am. If you’re okay with that. The settling down piece. Maybe not forever. I don’t know yet. At least a little while.”

 

He cupped her cheek then, the warm water splashing softly. “I go where you go, love.” He detected movement in his peripheral vision then, and his eyes flicked in that direction to view the source of the shift in the trees. He froze and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Don’t make any sudden movements.”

 

Buffy’s eyes widened bigger – if that was possible. She spoke so softly that only he could hear. “More Adlets?”

 

He gave a minute shake of her head, and she relaxed a fraction. “Turn slowly.” 

 

When Buffy finally made her way around, Spike heard her quiet intake of breath and then, “Ohhhh.”

 

The doe poked her head hesitantly out from the trees and edged warily toward the water – her movement slow and graceful but with enough tension to dash away if needed. Her soft ears flicking back and forth at random moments as she detected sounds elsewhere in the forest – sounds that even Spike couldn’t hear. He wasn’t sure what she was aiming for until she was almost upon them. Then, he saw the hint of grass peeking out from snow where the heat from the pool and steam had melted it. 

 

The doe paused to study Spike and Buffy for such a long time that he wasn’t sure he could hold still any longer. Then, the deer bowed her head and began licking at the grass for several seconds – her tongue thick and eager. 

 

Buffy found his hand under the water and gripped it in her own. The world seemed frozen in time, and Spike wished he could bottle the magical moment to save for later. 

 

When at last the deer moved away and headed back into the forest, Spike pulled Buffy close and whispered in her ear, “Happy Christmas, pet.”

 

Buffy turned her head toward his. “Merry Christmas, Spike. I love you.”

 

The end. 

12-31-18  
12:32 AM

**Author's Note:**

> This is the map of the hotel: https://www.fairmont.com/uploadedfiles/sites/banff_springs/pdf/bsh_key_to_the_castle_map.pdf  
> And a description of Adlets: http://mentalfloss.com/article/81818/8-mythical-canadian-monsters
> 
> This takes place approximately a year after The Couple that Road Trips Together and pre-dates A Small Boat on the Ocean and Adventures in Vamp-Sitting. Despite that, this fic can be totally read as a standalone holiday story! 
> 
> The deer story at the end is something that actually happened when BWJ stayed at the hotel!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the story! :o) Happy holidays!


End file.
